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The College Food Project: How is it Working?

Case Studies:

What worked at UW-Madison

CIAS received a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program to research how our local college campus could buy more locally grown and organic food.  Based on what we learned, we offer the following advice.  These steps helped us encourage UW-Madison and other colleges in Wisconsin to buy more locally grown and organic food.  For more in-depth information, please refer to these CIAS publications:

Something to Cheer About: National Trends and Prospects for Sustainable Agriculture Products in Food Service Operations of Colleges and Universities (PDF file)

Research Brief #39: New markets for producers: Selling to colleges

Research Brief #55: Dishing up local food on Wisconsin campuses

Steps:

  • See what farmer-direct buying is already going on, even if it is not much, and publicize it.
  • Encourage interested farmers and farmer co-ops to approach college food service directors who have expressed interest.
  • Bring together dining center directors—those who are buying directly from farmers and others who might be interested—to learn from each other and inspire each other to do more.
  • Bring together farmers and dining center directors.  This is one way to make sales happen, as dining center directors will often make the effort to buy from farmers they know.
  • Bring together students (and other customers) and dining center directors, so demand for food from local and sustainable farms is clear.
  • Look for brokers who can link individual farmers and colleges.
  • Ask colleges to buy directly from farmers. This is happening at all of the Wisconsin colleges serving locally-grown food, so evidently it is possible without brokers.
  • Look for food that local farmers can easily sell. This includes food that is now being grown in large quantities,  value-added products that store easily, food that can be stored without processing, and products that customers will especially appreciate like fresh tomatoes, local apples, and cheeses.
  • Start small by putting together a special event featuring food from local farms, such as a catered local meal or a local, organic dinner in the dining center. This can demonstrate student and community interest, show dining center staff and administrators that buying directly from farmers is possible, and let farmers see what dining centers can buy from them.
  • Organize tours of local farms for food service administrators, especially buyers. We invited food service staff on a bus tour along with restaurant owners and chefs who were already buying and serving locally grown, organic food in their restaurants.
  • Educate students by giving out information and samples of locally grown food.  

CIAS has created several publications on local, sustainable eating: Price Tags, Cost Tags and the Power Eater's Guide to Organic and Sustainable Food. These PDF files can be printed or copied onto 8.5" x 11" cardstock, cut in half, and distributed at your next event.